Wendell McKines. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
While the San Miguel Beermen and TNT KaTropa were breaking each other’s legs for the title of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, other teams are now busy preparing for the Governor’s Cup that fires off July 19.
Most of the teams are now holding practices and tuneup games in an effort to familiarize their imports with their local teammates.
Some of the reinforcements are returning imports like Barangay Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee, Meralco Bolts’ Allen Durham, Alaska’s LaDontae Henton, Phoenix Petroleum’s Eugene Phelps and San Miguel’s Wendell McKines.
The new recruits are TNT’s Michael Craig, Rain or Shine’s James Weatherspoon, Blackwater’s Travis Simpson, NLEX’s Aaron Fuller and GlobalPort’s Jabril Trawick.
Among these imports, only McKines is a transferee, having played with Rain or Shine before joining the Beermen.
Brownlee is currently in the US for a short vacation and will be back in time to help Barangay Ginebra defend the Governors’ Cup title they won against Meralco and Durham.
With the expected return of Greg Slaughter, sidelined due to injuries, the Gin Kings will now have tremendous firepower inside the shaded lane, making them the top favorite in the season-ending tournament.
Brownlee, at 6-foot-5, was the shortest import in the Commissioner’s Cup. But he stood tall by piloting the Gin Kings into the final four. He had averages of 28.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 steals.
Simpson of Blackwater has the most impressive credentials among the newcomers of imports. He’s fresh from a stint in the French tournament.
He’s a former UNC Greensboro topnotch player and the first to lead the Southern Conference for two successive seasons since Steph Curry.
That’s why Blackwater coach Leo Isaac is aching to see Simpson’s true worth in a series of tuneup games before the Governors’ Cup opens.